Scissor Skills for Preschoolers

Andrew recently finished a week of Nature Camp at the Irvine Nature Centre. This is where he attends preschool throughout the school year and I love that he is able to go and meet up with his friends and teachers and stay familiar with his school routine for a week or two throughout the summer. When I was picking Andrew up from his first day of camp I noticed all of the other little campers proudly showing their parents a snake craft that they had made from a paper plate. Andrew's wasn't in his cubby and when I asked about it he pulled it out of his back pack, only partially complete. I could tell by the look on his face that he was not happy about the project. Once we were home, I asked about the snake and he told me he didn't finish it because he "is no good at cutting". To make matters worse he said that the other kids brought their snakes out on the hike that morning but he left his in his backpack because "it kept reminding him that he can't cut". My heart was broken, and to add to the mommy guilt was the fact that his teachers even told me that some extra practice with scissors would be a good idea for Andrew over the summer. I think we had only sat down to work on cutting once, maybe twice.

Here is the photo I sent to Rob to tell him the story.

Looking at his cutting you can see that he is meticulous about staying on the line his teacher drew. I have taught many children with this approach to perfection, and it completely paralyzes their ability to complete a learning task. They're the ones that rub a hole clear through the page in an attempt to print their name the "right way". I really don't want Andrew to feel this kind of pressure when he enters school.

Anyway, once the Mommy guilt subsided I decided to take a more productive approach to the situation and prepare a few activities that would help Andrew with his scissor skills without the pressure of "staying on the line".... especially not a spiralled one! I read some great articles, pinned some fun activities and we have been spending lots of time cutting paper, and grass and leaves and just about anything we can find in the backyard. Andrew loves my collection of scrap booking scissors and really enjoys punching holes in leaves while we read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".  I'm happy that he is working on his hand strength and I've kept the snake to try again before the summer is out.

Here is a collection of my favourite activity ideas. The links to each website is listed underneath, they are all chalked full of amazing learning ideas!

Creative Connections for Kids

Happy Hooligans

No Time for Flashcards

Teach Preschool

One Perfect Day